Appalachia

Appalachia (/ˌæpΙ™ΛˆlΓ¦tΚƒΙ™, -ˈleΙͺtΚƒΙ™/) is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York to northern Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador) in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in Alabama, the cultural region of Appalachia typically refers only to the central and southern portions of the range. As of the 2010 United States Census, the region was home to approximately 25 million people.

Applachian Region – Poverty Rate, Percent Of U.S. Average, 2010–2014

Southern West Virginia and the portion of Kentucky have the greatest levels of poverty in 420-county region, covered by the Appalachian Regional Commission. In general, New York counties are in the middle when it comes to poverty in the Appalachian region.

Data Source: County Economic Status in Appalachia, FY 2017. 2010-2014 ACS Averages, Poverty Rate compared to National Average. https://www.arc.gov/research/MapsofAppalachia.asp?MAP_ID=116

Pennsylvania’s largest native fruit is ripe now, for just a few days – pennlive.com

Pennsylvania’s largest native fruit is ripe now, for just a few days – pennlive.com

If you have a hankering for pawpaw – if you don’t, you’re in the majority who know little about the forgotten fruit – now is the time to head “way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.”

Pawpaws are the largest and most tropical fruit growing wild as a native tree in Pennsylvania. Each oblong fruit measures 3-5 inches long and weighs 6-12 ounces, with a light green skin with increasing black blemishes as it ripens.

The flesh of the ripe fruit, which is ripe for only a few days in mid- to late September and not palatable when it’s not ripe, has a unique flavor that’s described with comparisons to many other fruits and combinations of fruits but often note hints of banana, mango and pineapple.